About the Workshop
Mutations are the ultimate source of genomic and phenotypic diversity. Such variation withstands the extraordinary capacity of animal species to adapt to distinct habitats and environmental conditions. The impact of genomic variability on species evolution is a matter that has fascinated but also puzzled the scientific community for decades, partly due to technical limitations on the reconstruction and interpretation of entire genomes. With the advent of long-range sequencing and proximity-ligation methods, such as Hi-C, error-free chromosome-resolved genome assemblies are finally at hand. Such technological development, in combination with CRISPR/Cas genome engineering and single-cell approaches, has propelled the field of evolutionary genetics into an unprecedented era of discovery that leverages on massive information about genome sequence and its underlying function. As a result, novel mechanisms of gene regulation are steadily emerging, supporting a transition from a classical gene-centered interpretation, to a multi-component approach that endorses the crucial role of non-coding regulatory sequences, 3D spatial organization or transposable elements in genome function. Thus, the so-called “Genomics Era” represents an ongoing conceptual and technological revolution that is central to understand developmental processes in the context of evolution.
This EMBO Workshop will bring together internationally recognized scientists with distinct, but complementary, expertise in interpreting the effects of genomic variability. The combination of such aspects allows a comprehensive overview that goes from fundamental principles encoded in genomes to their ultimate biological significance on the formation of living, evolving organisms.
The DNA Zoo consortium will celebrate a satellite meeting right after the conclusion of the EMBO workshop (17 September, 18:45 CEST). This meeting includes additional talks and a “hands-on” interactive session on genome assembly. Registration for this event is not required and all EMBO workshop participants will be able to access directly to it through the event platform.
For more information on the “DNA Zoo Satellite Meeting” program, please click here.
About EMBO Courses and Workshops
EMBO Courses and Workshops are selected for their excellent scientific quality and timelines, provision of good networking activities for all participants and speaker gender diversity (at least 40% of speakers must be from the underrepresented gender).
Organisers are encouraged to implement measures to make the meeting environmentally more sustainable.
